Monday, January 26, 2015

Q & A with Peter Robertson

A three-time graduate of Fresno State, PETER
ROBERTSON holds a BA in Art & Design, an MA in Mass Communication and an
MBA in Marketing.

As an undergraduate student, he was a founding member of United Student Pride
and co-founder and last year’s festival director of Fresno Reel Pride Film
Festival. As a first-time graduate student, he was selected a grand marshal for
the inaugural Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade & Festival; and as a second-time
graduate student, he founded the Bulldog Pride Fund – a $355,000 endowed
scholarship that was established under the auspices of the Fresno State Alumni
Association. By next fall, it have provided 41 scholarships with a total
value of $75,000.

How
long have you lived in the Central Valley?

I moved to Fresno
the day after my 21st birthday, in June
of 1984. That’s nearly 31 years ago!

Married
or single?

Happily partnered
since 1983, legally married since 2008.

When
did you come out to the first person in your life?

I was a freshman of
junior college, while living in Washington State. I finally admitting to myself
that it wasn’t the “acting” that I liked in “The Hardy Boys” starring Shaun
Cassidy and Parker Stevenson.

Something
you like about yourself?

My sincere smile.

Something
you dislike about yourself?

My struggle with
being overweight.

Character
trait in others that you most admire?

Their sincerity.

Character
trait in others that you most dislike?

Their hypocrisy.

What
is your biggest regret?

Not doing some
things sooner in life. But, life is a journey and I finally did do most of
them.

What
are you most passionate about?

Assisting students
in fulfilling their educational dreams via the Bulldog Pride Scholarship Fund
at Fresno State. My goal was to make a positive difference in the life of a
student. The table's have turned, and now the student's are making a positive
difference in my life. I am so blessed!

The current decade,
from 2011 to the present. Because of my wisdom, which comes with age.

Who
is your favorite person to talk to?

My dear husband is
my best friend, Victor Kral. We’ll be 32 years strong in June! And, the Lindo
twins -- Jared and Jason -- which have become like nephews to me.

Name
a person you know personally who has had the biggest impact on you?

Celebrity-wise
would have to be Eartha Kitt; we had an amazing 25 year friendship. I admired
her outspokenness, convictions and search for truth.

Name
a person you don’t know who has had the biggest impact on you?

Harvey Milk.
Excerpts from his speech at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day in
1978 are some of my all-time favorites quotes:

“On the Statue
of Liberty it says: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
yearning to be free…’ In the Declaration of Independence, it is written: ‘All
men are created equal and they are endowed with certain inalienable rights…’
And in our National Anthem, it says: ‘Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner
yet wave over the land of the free.’ For Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Bryant and all the
bigots out there: that’s what America is. No matter how hard you try, you
cannot erase those words from the Declaration of Independence. No matter how
hard you try, you cannot chip those words off the base of the Statue of Liberty
and no matter how hard you try, you cannot sing the Star-Spangled Banner
without those words. That’s what America is. Love it or leave it.”

Julian Perez. He’s
a triple-threat. He can act, dance and sing. I can do none of these, so he’d
make me look great and sound damn good!

What
is the best part of your day?

The alpha and the
omega. The beginning (getting up) and the end (falling asleep).

What
is your proudest moment?

There are a few.
Being publicly recognized for being a part of wonderful projects much, much
bigger than myself: Fresno Reel Pride Film Festival honoring me with the title
“Festival Director Emeritus.” Being inducted in Fresno State’s Mass
Communication & Journalism Hall of Fame. Receiving a Top Dog Alumnus Award
from the Fresno State Alumni Association. Hands On California’s Spirit of Caring
Award. Being inducted into Phi Kappa Phi. Receiving Fresno State’s Staff Spirit
of Service Award. And, serving a grand marshal for Fresno's first Pride
Parade -- celebrating its 25th anniversary this June!

What
have you overcome?

Sometimes we,
ourselves, are our biggest obstacles. For me, I was abandoned as an infant and
lived in an orphanage in Bogota, Colombia. At the age of four, I was adopted by
Baptist Missionaries. (They, too, later abandoned me during my coming-out
journey as a young-adult). By the time I was five, my name was changed from
Gustavo Beltran to Peter Robertson, and I had immigrated to the United States
and settled in Mount Vernon, Wash. Looking back, these were some of the best
things that could happen to me, but at the time the struggles were extremely
challenging. I n fact, I still deal with abandonment issues.

Where
your ideal place to live?

I really like
Fresno. I must, it’s been a 35 year life here, so far. Here’s to the next 35!
For those that don’t like it here, I always suggest to being a part of the
solution to make Fresno better. Or shut up and leave!

What
words do you live by?

BONUS INTRA. MELIOR
EXI. It’s Latin and translates: Enter good, Exit better. That’s what an
education does for someone. They “enter” college or university “good,” and
will, with their degree in hand, “exit better.” It’s also a double-entendre. We
want to “enter” the world, or life, which is “good;” but also “exit” or leave
it “better” for future generations.

2 comments:

Having known Peter Robinson and his husband Victor Kral for many years I can truly say they are constantly doing amazing things for our community. There are some dynamic duos in this great community of ours and Peter and Vic are 2 of them. They both have one outstanding common quality. Their smile. I have a very strong feeling that for both of them "The best is yet to come".

You're amazing, Peter Robinson!!!! I am so happy that Reel Pride has given me the opportunity to get to know and work side by side with this amazing leader and visionary. Thank you for being so wonderful!